National Firefighter Health Week: Keep It Strong All Year Long

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As the National Volunteer Fire Council's National Firefighter Health Week comes to a close, the NVFC wants first responders to realize that now it is their responsibility to "Keep It Strong All Year Long." Lillian Ricardo, NVFC Health and Safety Project Coordinator, says, "This week is only one week out of the entire year, and it's really important for departments and firefighters to keep the momentum that's gained through this week, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and improving upon their health and fitness."

Captain Kevin Klar, Fitness for Life Coordinator for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, comments, "You [firefighters] are at an extremely higher risk because of the stress, and the anaerobic and aerobic needs of the job."

Robert Karwasky, Occupational Health Physiologist for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, says, "If you roll back the clock ten or twenty years ago, you look at the environment, the fire station, there's a high incidence of smokers, high incidence of people eating high fat, unhealthy diets. Go to the stations now, they're a lot more educated. Smoking is pretty much forbidden and very rare occurrence. People are conscious of what they eat. They scrutinize what they eat, they read food labels, they're aware of food portions, they're aware of fat contents and diet."

Yearly exams should be a necessary part of any wellness program that a department decides to adopt. Klar explains, "We've found in doing our wellness exams - we've been doing them since about 2000 - and in that time frame, the last eight or nine years, we've reduced our worker's comp injuries by 25%."

To learn more about the NVFC's Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program, please visit www.healthy-firefighter.org.

FDNNTV.com's Coverage of National Firefighter Health Week

National Firefighter Health Week:  Know Your Risks

National Firefighter Health Week: Keep Your Head in the Game

National Firefighter Health Week: Matters of the Heart

National Firefighter Health Week: Focus on Fitness & Nurtition